The World Warrior Tournament
by villena.joboy
Summary: An attempt to make the story of Street Fighter more realistic, but without removing some of the iconic fantasy elements (such as the Hadouken and the like). Join Ryu as he fights his way through all the competitors of the World Warrior Tournament.
1. Ryu vs Fei Long

**Author's Notes: **This fanfiction is an attempt to make the Street Fighter world more grounded or realistic, without taking away the fantastic elements (like the ki attacks and such). This is actually my first Street Fighter fanfiction (although I'm not _too_ new to writing stories). I encourage readers to make suggestions and point out flaws that would make the existing chapters better, as I plan to edit and re-make all these chapters when the entire thing is done.

It's important to note that I don't plan on sticking to the canon, although I will try my best not to ruin any characterization.

Another thing that readers might notice here is that I plan to focus more on the fighting than anything else. Although this will certainly not be missing any story or character development.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this fanfiction. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

* * *

Chapter 1: Ryu vs. Fei Long

**Interviews**

_Ryu is a silent and humble warrior who is in forever in search of a challenge. He uses a mixture of martial arts such as the Kyokushinkai karate, and the Ansatsuken or "assassination fist". He travels the world, always looking for a fight against a worthy opponent. He was raised from childhood by a martial arts master. He has won several indie tournaments, and it's there that he became known as "The Dragon". But he has yet to test his skills in the most prominent fighting tournament of all: The World Warrior._

_Tell us a little bit about yourself, Ryu._

"Well, there are probably very few people who know me, but I enjoy fighting very much. I've been told that I'm obsessive about it sometimes. Heh, heh... _(Pause)_ That's... that's all, really."

_As you know, you're facing Fei Long first; quite possibly the most famous fighter in the world. Does that make you nervous? Tell us your thoughts about your opponent._

"Not really. I can see that Fei Long is certainly among the best in the world. But... that fact makes me excited, you know? Instead of nervousness, I get this, uh... excitement. I've watched videos of his fights, and I see that he can strike very fast. Faster than normal. But... he's not unbeatable. I have strategies against these... these _rush-down_ types of fighters."

_Fei Long is probably the most well-known martial artist in the world, both thanks to his career as a movie star and the fact that he has won so many fights in his career as a tournament player in The World Warrior. His most famous move is the one-inch punch, which he once delivered to Honda and ended the fight in a record-setting 20 seconds. Will we be able to see this again in this year's tournament?_

_Introduce yourself, Fei Long._

"My name is Fei Long. I'm here in the World Warrior tournament to meet new challenges, improve my skills as a fighter, and at the same time promote my upcoming movie, The Green Stinger. The moves I show here will be seen in the movie."

_As you know, you are facing Ryu first. Were you relieved when you found that out? You know, instead of facing someone sponsored by Shadaloo, like for example, Sagat? What are your thoughts on your opponent tonight?_

"Hey, I never underestimate my opponents. The fact that my opponent is new means I don't know his style well. That's the thing about these fights; you can never be too careful because anybody can beat you if you slack off a tiny bit. One thing is for sure, though, this fight will be Ryu's introduction to the big leagues."

* * *

**Introduction**

"Welcome everybody to the most prominent fighting promotion in the world: The World Warrior Tournament. I'm Justin Chen, alongside David Wong, and we'll be providing commentary for the fights today."

The lights went on at the ring. The arena, silent only a few seconds ago, was now roaring, for the show had finally began.

"The first World Warrior match of the night," Chen announced in commentary. "Fei Long against Ryu. The movie star against the indy star. Which one will outshine the other?"

Ryu's music started playing. There were cheers, but they weren't that loud. After all, Ryu was new to this tournament. Some of his fans from the indies were in attendance, and interestingly they brought signs with them.

_JUST HERE FOR THE DRAGON_

_I PAID TO SEE RYU_

One of them – a girl still in her school uniform – was holding a sign with a very impressive drawing of Ryu doing his signature move, the 'Hadouken'. She and her friends were the loudest among those who cheered. Ryu's face was as stoic as usual as he walked towards the ring, but his lips showed a hint of a smile when he saw the signs from his fans. It was nice to know that they bought expensive tickets to World Warrior just to see him here.

"Ryu The Dragon. Practitioner of a mixture of martial arts, along with the Ansatsuken," David began describing Ryu. "A zoner. His style relies on continuously pressuring his opponents with his projectile called the 'Hadouken' to keep them at any range he wants. This severely limits his opponent's options, and any mistake will most likely get punished by his powerful uppercut, the 'Shoryuken'."

As Ryu reached the ring, he just stood there with his eyes closed. He meditated, soaked in the atmosphere of the arena, and completely shut off his attention to the crowd, the lights, and the cameras. With his eyes still closed, he took out his red headband and tied it to his head. He started to recall every fight video he had seen of Fei Long, every strategy he had formulated beforehand, every movement pattern he detected, and every counter-attack to those movements.

Fei Long's music started playing. With a combination of action movie fans and martial arts fans in the audience, the crowd erupted. The crowd signs were particularly hilarious.

_Fei Long, I'm thirsty! Give me some WAAAATTTAAAAA!_

_Fei Long, I'm hungry! Give me a WHOOOPPPAAA!_

_When Fei Long kicks a revolving door, it slams_

_Light travels at the speed of Fei Long_

_Fei Long does push-ups with his breath_

The signs were alluding to his characters in his movies. Most of which loved to make screaming Kung Fu noises, and were also unstoppable badasses. This entrance was one of the things which Fei Long always enjoyed in tournaments. Whether he wins a fight or loses it, he and the crowd would have a good time. So he just went out there and jogged towards the ring, smiling at all his fans.

"Fei Long. Practitioner of the Hitenryu," David described. "His game is to take his opponent into the corner and keep them there for as long as possible while he mercilessly beats them down at close range. As opposed to Ryu who uses his ki to create projectiles, Fei Long uses his ki like a rocket booster to add speed and power to his strikes."

Fei Long had reached the ring and put a serious face on. Even now, Ryu continued to meditate, while Fei Long proceeded to condition himself by stretching and hopping around, practicing his punches and kicks. Seeing both fighters now in the ring, the announcer stepped in the middle and grabbed his microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a no-time-limit battle. The only way to win is through submission or knockout.

"Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner! Standing five feet, nine-inches tall, weighing in at 150 pounds. He is a nomadic warrior with no true home! Ryu! "The Dragon"!

"And now his opponent fighting out of the red corner, standing five feet, seven-and-a-half-inches tall, weighing in at 135 pounds. Fighting out of Hong Kong, China! Fei Long!"

As per the tournament routine, Fei Long and Ryu had a stare-down in the middle of the ring. This was like a communication for them, for they saw in each other's eyes that they were equally determined. Both of them saw that this was not going to be an easy fight. Their heart raced, partly in excitement and partly in fear of what their opponent could do.

"Alright, men," the referee began speaking to them. "I want you to do as I say at all times. Defend yourself at all times."

He signalled the fighters to go to the opposite corners. They did so.

"Are you ready?" He pointed to Fei Long. Fei Long nodded.

"Are you ready?" He pointed to Ryu. Ryu nodded.

"FIGHT!"

* * *

**Fight**

The fight began with the two circling around the ring for a bit, waiting on each other to make the first move. Fei Long knew that Ryu was good at counter-fighting, and he was trying to be careful. Before long, though, he began walking straight forward, seeking to intimidate Ryu into backing up. Ryu simply threw a Hadouken. Fei Long was forced to block it, and was pushed backwards a bit because of the impact.

They were now about two meters away from each other. This was the perfect range for Ryu to execute his zoning game. Sure enough, he started chucking Hadoukens at Fei Long like he was playing at the basketball arcade machine.

"As the fight starts, we see Ryu zoning here with Hadoukens," Chen narrates. "Interestingly enough, the previous champion, Sagat employs a similar tactic in his fight. This is a good strategy because his opponent's options become very limited. Fei Long can't just block every Hadouken because it would eventually do serious damage to him. He can't jump towards Ryu because he would get hit by the Shoryuken. Fei Long appears to have no choice other than to keep moving left and right. Do you know more about this Hadouken, David?"

"I've been watching Ryu's off-air fights, Chen," David comments. "Hadouken is when Ryu gathers his ki and pushes it forward. It has about as much force as a single punch. Now, he has three types of Hadoukens. The first is the regular Hadouken we're seeing here. The other is the _Shakunetsu Hadouken_, wherein some of the excess ki he gathers throughout the fight is thrown to look more like a fireball. It doesn't just hit once. It takes a longer time to disperse, so if you get hit, it sort of stays on your body for a longer time and inflicts more damage."

As if on cue, Ryu threw the Shakunetsu Hadouken. It came out faster than the regular Hadouken, which Fei Long didn't expect. His sidestep was too slow, so on reaction he tried to block the fireball with his hand. It indeed stuck to his hand for a while before dispersing. He had to wiggle his hand to cool it down. Ryu then continued zoning with the regular Hadoukens.

"There it is. Now for the third kind of Hadouken," David continued, "it's called the 'Shinku Hadouken'. Ryu only rarely does it because it drains so much out of him. But the guys who were hit by it? They said it's a little bit like being hit by a running motorcycle."

"So Fei Long has to watch out for that," Chen replied. "Especially now that it looks like he's getting zoned out."

There was almost a rhythm to the fight at this point. Ryu would throw a Hadouken; Fei Long would sidestep to the left, and walk a step forward. Ryu would take a step back and throw another Hadouken. Fei Long would sidestep to the right, and walk forward again. Ryu would step back again and throw another Hadouken. But there was only so much space in the ring. Ryu eventually reached the corner.

"There we go, they're now in Fei Long's favorite spot," David remarked.

"Oh, that's right. I was wrong. He wasn't getting zoned out," Chen pointed out. "He actually planned this all along. For the new viewers at home, Fei Long can't do much at long range. But here in the corner, he's a monster."

Fei Long then proceeded to demonstrate exactly what Chen was talking about. Before Ryu could finish preparing another Hadouken, Fei Long dashed forward like a jet, and struck a blow on Ryu's chest, another one on his stomach, and the last one on his chest again, but this time screaming "WAAAATTTAAAAA!" The crowd popped, not just because that's their favorite Fei Long noise, but because it's the first direct hit of the fight. The impact of that punch sent Ryu slamming into the corner of the ring.

"Fei Long with the one-two-three-punch he calls the _Rekkaken_," Chen narrated.

Fei Long stepped backwards a bit. This was a nice range for Ryu's zoning again, so Ryu took this as another opportunity to throw a Hadouken. Big mistake. As soon as the Hadouken came out, Fei Long leaped over it, landed fist-first into Ryu's face, rotated in _mid-air_, and had his foot come down on the top of Ryu's head. The crowd was now getting louder.

"Now the _Rekkuu Kyaku_," Chen continued.

But Fei Long wasn't finished. As soon as he reached the ground, he gathered a fire-like ki into his foot, and did a jumping upward-kick on Ryu's chin. The crowd roared.

"Followed by the _Shien Kyaku_!" Chen exclaimed. "Did you see that, David? Fei Long baited a Hadouken, and went _over_ it with his _Rekkuu Kyaku_, and followed it up with the _Shien Kyaku_!"

"This is why Fei Long loves that corner. The pressure he creates in there can cause his opponents to make mistakes. And he punishes mistakes in a devastating way."

Ryu seemed to be weakening at this point, so Fei Long just went in and started frantically whacking his fists at Ryu, hoping to land one solid hit that would end the fight. Ryu wasn't weakened enough. Despite the amazing speed of Fei Long's punches, Ryu successfully blocked most them. Ryu was actually a master of this situation. When his opponents felt that he was weakened, and that they could finish the fight soon, they almost invariably started becoming aggressive and impatient.

_Just keep blocking. Wait for an opening_.

"Solid defense here by The Dragon," David commented. "His reaction time must be insane. Look at all these strikes he's blocking."

"It's actually not _just_ from his reaction time," Chen corrected. "He also has a very effective defensive stance. Look at his arms, they're both in a vertical position so that it would cover both his head and his body, so he'll really only need to think about whether the next blow would come left or right."

There was eventually one straight jab, which Ryu didn't just block; he parried. After that, he quickly crouched down, and did a monstrous jumping uppercut that hit Fei Long on the chin, sending him staggering backwards. "OH!" shouted both the audience and the commentators as they saw the devastating solid blow.

"It's the _Shoryuken_!" David shouted. "It's always been Ryu's counter-attack for when his opponent gets past his zoning defense. When you're fighting Ryu, you've got to be careful and respect that Shoryuken."

As Ryu landed, he quickly ran towards Fei Long before he could recover from that Shoryuken. Ryu didn't make it in time, though. What was supposed to be an all-out offense from him turned into a series of trading blows with Fei Long. Both of them were boxing like mad, and the audience grew louder and louder with each hit. Fei Long had the faster, more scattershot-like strikes. In the time it took for his opponent to punch him once, he had already gone rapid-fire on their head. Ryu, on the other hand, had the more focused, and more powerful strikes. His punches went for pure blunt-force trauma. A single blow would rattle the memory of his opponent's ancestors.

Both Ryu's and Fei Long's breaths eventually gave out, though, so they both backed away.

"Interesting exchange right there," Chen commented. "They both got tired at the same time, and backed away at the same time."

It was at this time that the pain had caught up to both of them.

Fei Long was getting dizzy, both because he had been hit with a Shoryuken and it felt as though his chin had journeyed all the way up to his brain, and because Ryu had been pounding his head like crazy. His forehead was even swelling. But he retained his composure, trying to show Ryu that he did not do any serious damage.

Ryu was in worse shape. His left cheek had a giant bruise because of the _Rekkuu Kyaku_ from before. He had a cut from just above his eye, and the blood was sliding down his cheek. And from all the blows he took, it seemed as though he was going to wake up with a polka-dot of bruises on his body. Not to mention his arms were sore from blocking all of Fei Long's punches from the corner.

Nevertheless, they both had to finish this fight.

They circled around the ring again, waiting on each other to make the first move. Ryu couldn't throw a Hadouken this time because of his respect for the Rekkuu Kyaku. Fei Long couldn't just do a Rekkaken because he might get punished by the Shoryuken again. They had both wanted to be careful this time, after all the damage they took.

They tried to fake each other out. Ryu would do his ki-gathering stance to fake a Hadouken; Fei Long would lean forward to fake a Rekkuu Kyaku. Neither of them would fall for it. Their intentions were different, though. Ryu's intention was to see how Fei Long would react to his Hadouken. Apparently, Fei Long wanted to wait for the Hadouken to come out before leaping over it with the Rekkukyaku.

Fei Long's intention brought a more immediate result. With Ryu backing away every time Fei Long faked a Rekkuu Kyaku, he had managed to take Ryu to the corner again with footsies alone.

Ryu once again went to his ki-gathering stance, but to Fei Long it didn't matter whether or not this Hadouken was a fake-out. Now that Ryu's in the corner, he couldn't possibly back away to counter-attack. So Fei Long just did the Rekkukyaku; he catapulted himself forward, intent on landing fist-first into Ryu's face. To his surprise, Ryu just took the blow to his forehead, and at the same time threw his own attack: the Shoryuken.

The impact from Fei Long's Rekkukyaku made Ryu bend backwards a bit.

The impact from Ryu's Shoryuken sent Fei Long flying upwards.

"OH!" shouted the crowd and the commentators again.

"Is this a double-knockout?" asked Chen.

But Ryu wasn't done. He had managed to pull himself together just quickly enough to take all the ki he had gathered throughout the fight, and unload them to create a massive Hadouken. It hit Fei Long's body before he even reached the ground. It pushed him horizontally for a while before dispersing, and Fei Long reached the ground with a shock on his face as his body felt like it had been hit with a motorcycle.

"The Shinku Hadouken! The Shinku Hadouken!" David screamed at the top of his lungs. "Ladies and gentlemen! Ryu! The Dragon!"

The crowd roared on their feet. And when they saw that Fei Long wasn't getting up and the referee had stopped the fight, they roared even louder. This was an amazing performance from both Ryu and Fei Long.

"And the fight is over!" announced Chen. "Ryu is the first victor of the night, sending the acclaimed movie star Fei Long to the loser's bracket!"

* * *

**Post-fight**

Ken, along with the official tournament paramedics, ran into the ring and handed Ryu a towel. Ryu, who had seemingly been bathing in sweat, ran the towel through his body, and then rubbed it on his hair. He also used it to wipe off the blood off of his face. "Great job, buddy!" Ken praised his best friend as he rubbed Ryu's hair. "That last move where you went for a trade… you know, his Rekkukyaku for your Shoryuken… that was genius! If this fight is any indication, you're probably going to win this whole tournament!"

Ryu simply laughed in response.

Meanwhile, the paramedics had checked up on Fei Long. He seemed to have come to after a minute. He didn't seem to have any serious injury, fortunately. There was a slight fracture on one of his ribs, though, but it was expected to heal in only a few weeks.

Eventually, both fighters were called into the center of the ring for the post-fight interview.

"Ryu, you were getting beaten up early on in the fight, but you managed to pull through in the end. How does it feel to not only have your first World Warrior Tournament victory, but to get your first victory through an amazing comeback?"

"Well, you know, the uh, this is a great victory for me," Ryu said, obviously in a nervous way. He didn't have trouble fighting in front of a lot of people, but speaking was a whole different story. "I feel great. And uh… there's not much else to say, really."

"That last part where you threw that huge Hadouken, did you just do that on reaction?"

"No, actually. I-I had predicted that Fei Long would jump at me, so I just… _(shrug)_ Prepared myself to take the blow. I was also prepared to follow up the Shoryuken with the Shinku Hadouken."

"Well, that was a great prediction. Congratulations on your victory, and we'll see you in the ring on the next show."

"Thank you."

"Fei Long, you've fought hard, you've fought well, but you got hit hard and were knocked down. Were you disappointed by your performance in any way?"

"No, not at all. The way I see it, the fight could have gone either way. But I made the wrong prediction and lost the fight. That's just the way it is, and I accept that Ryu had defeated me."

"Well, you'll still have a chance to redeem yourself in the loser's bracket. Good luck to you, and we'll see you in the ring on the next show."

"Thank you."


	2. Chun-Li vs Cammy

Chapter 2: Chun-Li vs. Cammy

**Interviews**

_Chun-Li is a practitioner of Tai Chi, an agent of Interpol, and is one of the most dominant forces in The World Warrior Tournament. She steamrolled through her competition up to the championship during the very first tournament, earning her the title of "The Strongest Woman in the World". She dominates her opponents by being hands-down the quickest striker so far to enter the tournament, surpassing even Fei Long. Her most famous attack is the Hyakuretsu Kyaku, where she repeatedly kicks her opponent so quickly that the kicks appear to be a blur of motion in front of the camera._

_Tell us a little bit about yourself, Chun-Li._

"Hi everyone, I am Chun-Li. If you're watching from prison, you may already know me. _(laughs)_ Anyway, I'm an Interpol agent who enters The World Warrior Tournament to showcase the ability of our agency. Did you know that statistically, the crime rate had been going down ever since the first World Warrior championship? _(laughs)_ I'd like to think that I'm one of those reasons."

_Cheerful as always. Chun-Li, most of your very few losses were from Sagat, who is sponsored by Shadaloo. How do you feel about taking on Cammy, who is also sponsored by Shadaloo?_

"I'm ecstatic, actually! This is my opportunity to take back my title as the World Warrior Champion. You know, I really feel that I can win it again this time. Now, I have respect for Cammy as a fighter; I've only seen her fight during the qualifying rounds, and I will admit she is impressive. She finishes her fights very quickly. But I just can't let her take this one."

_Cammy White is the newest member of the Shadaloo Tournament Fighters. She practices an original martial art taught by Shadaloo's CEO, M. Bison. This martial art was designed for the company's security units to dispatch an intruder in the quickest and cleanest way possible. Which is why she went through all her opponents in the qualifying rounds in less than a minute each. Sporting a variety of wrestling and grappling maneuvers, can Cammy take on the best of the best in The World Warrior Tournament?_

_Introduce yourself, Cammy._

"My name is Cammy White. I am one of Bison's security units, and I am here to promote Shadaloo's health products by demonstrating the capabilities of someone who takes them."

_Both you and Chun-Li seem to have experience outside of a tournament arena. You've probably seen Chun-Li fight before. How would you compare her abilities to yours?_

"Based on tournament data alone, I have concluded that Chun-Li's fighting style is inferior to Shadaloo fighting techniques. Unless she can bring out something she had never done before, she will lose this fight."

* * *

**Introduction**

Chun-Li's music played. People cheered. Chun-Li had a lot of fans for three reasons. First, her winning the First World Warrior Tournament catapulted her into stardom. Second, she was fun to watch. While other fighters could win with tactics that some would consider cheap (such as grappling and zoning), Chun-Li was one of the few who took acrobatic moves that require a high amount of flexibility and athleticism, and made them work inside the ring. Not to mention, one would not be considered to have lived a full life until they saw the Hyakuretsu Kyaku.

The third reason was simple: She was attractive. She came out of the locker room and into the arena sporting a blue leotard underneath her blue qipao with golden accents. Her hair was held up in what's known as the ox horns. Her extremely large and muscular legs were covered with brown stockings. She walked towards the ring, her feet light enough inside her white combat boots that even if the audience's noise was taken away, she would still make no audible sound.

She looked at the crowd. There was really only one reason for her to look at the crowd: the fan signs.

_90% of Chun-Li's muscles are from her thighs._

_DANGER: GIANT THIGHS AHEAD  
_

_Chun-Li: 1/4 awesome, 3/4 thighs  
_

Typical. While other fighters had creative fan signs, hers was all about how big her thighs were. It's always been this way, though. Her fans loved to mess with her. She couldn't decide whether or not this was a testament to how creative can be, or how annoying they can be. Nevertheless, she smiled at them. The fans of Chun-Li and her dangerous thigh line.

"Chun-Li. Practitioner of Tai Chi," David began his description. "She uses her agility, flexibility, and athleticism to get herself out of any situation. She also uses her extremely quick strikes to wear down her opponent before finishing them off with a relentless barrage of kicks."

She reached the ring, stepped inside, and took the time to start her Tai Chi exercise as a warmup. She punched and kicked and crouched and twirled around, and it looked like a dance to some.

Cammy's music started playing. This was literally the first time she has ever had to fight in a televised show, or in an arena with a crowd for that matter. So almost no one knew who she was, and the crowd was dead silent. When she came out in her blue thong leotard (with a small yellow tie), blue cap, and brown combat boots, the crowd murmured to each other, as this was the first time they had seen her. She did get what seemed to be ten or twenty men cheering for her, if only because of her slender figure.

None of this mattered, though. Because Cammy did not enter the tournament to please the crowd. Her only objective was to gather tournament data for Shadaloo. She nonchalantly walked towards the ring with a straight body, and in an almost robotic fashion. Her long, braided blonde hair flowed behind her at each of her steps. Steps that were every bit as light and silent as Chun-Li's, except much more effortless.

She reached the ring and just stood there. Arms on the side, face forward, feet together... She was like a soldier at attention. No, a _statue_ of a soldier at attention.

"Cammy White. Based on data from the off-air qualifying rounds, her technique consists of finishing the opponent quickly through simple grappling maneuvers," David read through his notes. "She finishes off most of her fights through submission holds, and throws. She is mostly an enigma to the general population, but being a member of Shadaloo, she is almost certainly not an easy opponent."

Seeing both fighters now in the ring, the announcer stepped in the middle and grabbed his microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a no-time-limit battle. The only way to win is through submission or knockout.

"Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner! Standing five feet, six-and-a-half-inches tall, weighing in at 132 pounds. Fighting out of China! Chun-Li!"

"And now her opponent fighting out of the red corner, standing five feet, four-and-a-half-inches tall, weighing in at 101 pounds. Fighting out of the United Kingdom, and sponsored by Shadaloo! Cammy White!"

As per the tournament routine, Chun-Li and Cammy had a stare-down in the middle of the ring. Chun-Li's face was serious and focused as she looked down on her smaller opponent. Cammy's face on the other hand was more calm and lifeless, almost as if she felt no emotion at all. The perfect poker face. Chun-Li had no idea what she was thinking.

"Alright," the referee began speaking to them. "I want you to do as I say at all times. Defend yourself at all times."

He signaled the fighters to go to the opposite corners. They did so.

"Are you ready?" He pointed to Chun-Li. Chun-Li nodded.

"Are you ready?" He pointed to Cammy. Cammy nodded.

"FIGHT!"

* * *

**Fight**

As soon as she heard the word "FIGHT", Chun-Li started walking left and right, trying to stay mobile to make herself a harder target for Cammy in case she decided to make the first strike. The blonde girl was just standing there with a straight body and with her arms down. It was still the same position as when she had entered the ring. It was as though she wasn't even in a fight. The only parts of her body moving were her eyes that were following Chun-Li's movements. This was admittedly intimidating for Chun-Li. Was Cammy confident that she could follow the movements of the fastest striker in the World Warrior tournament? Part of her wanted to test the reaction time of this Shadaloo fighter, but there was just something about her motionless stance, her calm expressionless face, and her cold, calculating eyes that just screamed 'I am waiting for you to come at me so that I can counter you with a one-hit-kill attack.'

Chun-Li opted for something safe: a simple Kikouken. She lifted both arms, focused her ki into her hands, and pushed it forward, her fingers lined up straight. A ball of ki started travelling slowly forward.

"Chun-Li starts off the fight with a _Kikouken_," Chen narrates. "Tell me what you know about this technique, David."

"Well, Chen," David responds. "The _Kikouken_ is a very elusive ki attack. It travels more slowly than other ki attacks. You'd think that would be a disadvantage, but then you realize that it also takes a _very_ long time to dissipate. So in the heat of the battle, you not only have to avoid Chun-Li's quick strikes; you also have to avoid moving into that _Kikouken_ that just won't disappear."

It was useless. Both the _Kikouken_ and this defensive play by Chun-Li. Cammy knew this. She just ran up to the ball of ki, crossed her arms in front of her face, and ran towards it, and blocked it. The Kikouken could only be annoying if it isn't dealt with, and the fact that it dissipates on contact meant that Cammy could easily block it every time it came out.

Upon quick analysis of the current situation, Cammy had concluded that there were two options for Chun-Li after her Kikouken is blocked like this. She could move in and strike with her so-called lightning-fast kicks, to which Cammy was confident that she could catch the lightning-fast foot, and then take the strongest woman in the world down with a leg-lock. Her other option was to throw another Kikouken.

Chun-Li chose the second option. Disappointing. This whole defensive style was unbecoming of the winner of the first tournament. She was probably scared, but she should know that there was no escape from Cammy.

The blonde girl took a giant leap forward like a cannon and went over the Kikouken. Her thighs landed on Chun-Li's shoulder. The crowd popped. The commentators were shouting at each other "Did you see that? Did you see that?"

"She must have jumped like, the length of 6 people!" David reacted.

Cammy was now riding on Chun-Li's shoulder. The brown-haired Chinese girl audibly gasped. Pathetic. A Frankensteiner will finish this. Cammy squeezed her opponent's head in between her thighs and flipped backwards to smash Chun-Li to the ground head-first and completely vertical. This should break her neck for sure. The fight was over.

"Holy crap! That was probably the most lethal move I've seen in this tournament!" Chen flipped out.

Fortunately for the world's strongest woman, her arms were still free. So before her head hit the ground, she made sure she did not, in fact, land head-first. She landed hands-first. Chun-Li was now doing a handstand while her head was still in between Cammy's thighs. The crowd popped in surprise to Chun-Li's excellent use of her athleticism.

"It's a good thing this was Chun-Li she was fighting," Chen continued. "She managed to save her neck by using her hands to lessen the impact of that Frankensteiner. If this was any other fighter, they would probably have a severe neck injury right now."

Cammy was surprised. It was very uncommon for opponents to react this quickly and counteract the Frankensteiner. And this was usually her one-hit-kill move. No matter. This simply meant that Chun-Li was worth her time. Still, there is no escaping from Cammy.

The blonde woman folded her legs around Chun-Li's neck and tried to squeeze the life out of it. Cammy's two boots sandwiched Chun-Li's neck, almost trying to crush it flat. Chun-Li dropped her handstand, and her feet went down. She was now on all-fours like a dog, whilst her head was still buried in-between Cammy's immovable legs.

"Cammy now trying to suffocate Chun-Li into submission," Chen continued to narrate. "This doesn't look good for Chun-Li."

Chun-Li grabbed Cammy's two legs and tried to pull it apart, but they were looped to each other like a knot, so there was no way she could force it apart. The fact that she was running out of air meant that every second she was losing strength. To any other fighter, this would probably be it. It was time to tap out. But this was Chun-Li. The champion of the first World Warrior Tournament. The strongest woman in the world. There was no way she was going down in only two moves.

Cammy suddenly felt a sharp pain on both of her thighs, as though they were being stabbed by ten needles. She then came to a stunning realization. Chun-Li's hands were still free, and she was burying her nails in Cammy's legs. She felt a bit of blood trickling down, and she quickly let go of her hold before her opponent could claw all the way to her bone, and rolled away. This was the first time Cammy felt alarmed with any of her opponents, both inside and outside the ring. She blamed herself entirely; it was her job to control those arms, and she didn't.

Cammy stood up straight and motionless again as she observed her opponent. Chun-Li was up and in her Tai Chi stance, her hands dripping with blood from Cammy's thighs. She was gasping for all the air she hadn't taken in during those agonizing twenty seconds of Cammy's hold. She was tired and _weakened_. Now was the time for the Shadaloo fighter to take advantage.

Cammy moved in with the intent of doing another takedown.

Chun-Li reacted by speedily doing a handstand and spinning her legs around like a top to drive her opponent away.

"Chun-Li here doing the Spinning Bird Kick," David said.

Cammy reacted just in time to stop and block the Spinning Bird Kick. Before Chun-Li was finished spinning, Cammy punished the blocked attack by doing a low dropkick while spinning like a drill. Her feet hit Chun-Li's stomach and pushed her backwards, stopping her spinning and breaking the balance on her handstand. Chun-Li ended up lying down with her face on the ground.

"And Cammy punishes it with her Spiral Arrow," David continued. "She is just in full control of the fight at this time."

Chun-Li willed herself upwards again, ignoring her fatigue and the pain in her stomach and neck. She went into her stance again, still breathing heavily and showing clear signs that she wasn't in good shape. There was definitely something about Cammy that didn't seem normal. The blonde woman was unafraid to just stand still with her arms down and without any defensive stance, confident that she was safe from any strike. She could move with the most unsafe stance and body position, and still somehow block any strike that could come from anywhere. Nobody could have that kind of reaction time. Shadaloo had done something to her for sure.

Although she didn't like it, Chun-Li was forced to admit that she was fighting a losing battle against this super-woman. She moved closer to Cammy while the blonde woman was still in her stance. Cammy was still calm and motionless with her arms down, even as Chun-Li is within range for her kicks.

Chun-Li did a single leg kick with speed that's too blurry for the camera. Cammy crouched down and parried it with her arm with the same kind of speed.

Another kick, this time to the head. Cammy parried again.

Another kick aimed at the neck. Cammy blocked with her palm.

Eventually, Chun-Li started her famous Hyakuretsu Kyaku. Her right leg became a big blur of motion as it went rapid-fire all over Cammy's body. This was no trouble for the Shadaloo fighter. She danced, twisting and writhing around as she parried every single one of her opponent's so-called 'lightning legs'. The crowd was getting hotter and hotter with each parry, as this is the first time they've seen something so amazing.

"Cammy just outright disrespecting Chun-Li's _Hyakuretsu Kyaku_," Chen said. "Usually fighters have some sort of defensive stance to help block these kicks, but do you see how calmly Cammy is just standing there and parrying everything?"

But then, miraculously, one of those kicks hit Cammy straight at her right cheek.

"Oh, but that's the consequence of that disrespect," Chen continued. "This is probably Chun-Li's first hit of the match. Am I right, David?"

"Yeah, you're right," David answered. "Cammy is just _so_ in-control of the match, that this is the first time Chun-Li could get a hit in."

Cammy's usually cold and calculating eyes were now wide in shock. She stumbled backwards and regained her composure with a struggle. She looked at Chun-Li. The bastard was smiling. The brown-haired Chinese Tai Chi practitioner looked at her with a mischievous smile and said, "I know you're on some kind of performance enhancer. And if you weren't, I would have kicked your ass all over the place."

Chun-Li moved in and did her Hyakuretsu Kyaku again. Cammy would not have any of this. She immediately grabbed Chun-Li's foot at the first kick, punched her in the stomach, and then quickly did an upward kick to Chun-Li's chin. After the kick connected, Cammy bent her body backwards and did a backflip.

"Ouch!" shouted both the crowd and the commentators. "That is one solid Cannon Spike from Cammy!" David described.

Chun-Li stumbled backwards. She wanted to continue fighting. Testing how far she could go against this cheater. Her mind wanted to go on, but with a combination of her fatigue and the amount of damage she had taken, her body was disagreeing. She dropped on her knees, and then dropped sideways. She couldn't go on.

Cammy rushed towards her opponent, dropping a couple more strikes to Chun-Li's head. The brown-haired woman didn't move. Before the third punch could be thrown, the referee suddenly grabbed her by the arms from behind. He signaled for the bell, and the bell ringer obeyed.

"And it's all over!" announced Chen. "Cammy had defeated the world's strongest woman! Chun-Li is going to the loser's bracket!"

* * *

**Post-fight**

Chun-Li just lied on the ground, soaking up this loss. Cammy had her. There was nothing she could have done differently to overcome this. There was absolutely no shame in her loss. She accepted that. What she could not accept was that there was a fighter in World Warrior who was on performance-enhancing drugs. What kind of drug was this? Was it undetectable through the standard drug tests of the World Warrior medical staff? Or were the medical staff on Shadaloo's payroll? Either way, as an agent of Interpol, she had to make an arrest.

"Are you okay, Chun-Li?" she heard a feminine voice. And then she felt what seemed to be hands with rubber gloves feeling he hurting chin. "Everything seems to be fine over here. Can you hear me?"

Chun-Li opened her eyes. The paramedics were here. "I'm fine," she replied. "Just a little beat up."

As the paramedics continued their routine check-up on her, she could hear the interviewer talking to Cammy.

"Cammy, you were completely dominant throughout the fight. Were you expecting the fight against the former champion to turn out like this?"

"This was more of a hassle than anticipated. Regardless, there was not a moment in the fight wherein I believed that I would lose."

"Very confident, as expected from Shadaloo. Well, we'll see you in the next show."

"Thank you."

The interviewer walked over to Chun-Li, who had just gotten up. "Chun-Li, you weren't able to get much offense in. Do you think you can come back from this loss?"

"Definitely. I can come back from this. The next time Cammy and I face each other..." she turned to look at Cammy in the eye. Cammy was still showing her poker face, but she did look at Chun-Li to make her aware she was listening. "It's going to be a lot more even."

"Well, it's good to see you haven't lost your spirit. Good luck, and see you in the next show."

"Thank you."


	3. Sagat vs Guile

Chapter 3: Sagat vs. Guile

**Interviews**

_Sagat, the Muay Thai King, is a two-time champion of the World Warrior Tournament. He got into a close championship fight with Chun-Li during World Warrior 2, and then absolutely destroyed everyone during World Warrior 3. That third championship between Sagat and Balrog was the quickest championship fight so far. Will we be seeing him dominate again this year?_

_I'm sure you're a man who needs no introduction, but give us an opening statement, Sagat._

"I am Sagat of Shadaloo. Champion of the World Warrior Tournament. Muay Thai King. The strongest fighter in the _world_. I am once again here, in World Warrior 4, to continue my reign as the strongest, and to cement my legacy."

_As you know, Guile is your next opponent. And a lot of people are actually rooting for him to win. How do you feel about that?_

_"_Of course everyone will cheer for him. People don't want to see the bigger, stronger, more dominant person be... big, strong, and dominant. People will always cheer for the underdog. I don't blame them for seeing Guile as the underdog, but every tournament fight I'm in is a reality check for them. The better-conditioned and better-trained fighter will _always_ win over their opponent."

_Guile is a celebrated war hero, known for his special contributions to the war against Islamic terrorists. He is a U.S. Air Force major currently teaching unarmed combat to foot soldiers. He calls this fighting style the "Military Martial Arts Program" or MMAP, and the idea behind this martial art is to grab whatever body part you can grab, and put it under excruciating pain. Can the war fighter outmatch the tournament fighter?_

_Tell us a little bit about yourself, Guile._

"I'm Major Guile, representing the U.S. Army. I'm entering the World Warrior Tournament to show the world what the army is all about, and possibly to inspire the people at home to join us."

_How do you feel about having your first fight be against Sagat; the most dominant fighter in the world. Is it a shocker to you?_

"Of course it's a shocker. Can you imagine? My first tournament fight ever, and I'm up against the two-time champion. But hey, everybody gets scared. Out in the field, we get scared every second. We train our entire lives to face the scariest possible situation, so I've learned how to turn my fear into strength. If anything, Sagat is going to face me at my best here."

* * *

**Introduction**

Sagat's theme played, bringing the crowd into an uproar. They were entirely split on him. Half are cheering loudly, and the other half are booing unmercifully. The cheering half were showing respect for a man as skilled and dedicated as Sagat. The booing half had three reasons: One is that they were tired of him. Two is that they didn't like his zoning tactics; it wasn't fun to watch someone throw projectiles over and over again until they won. Three is that they believed he was arrogant. As could be seen during the interviews, he truly believed that there was nobody stronger than him. They couldn't wait to have someone show up and beat him down.

Sagat came out to the arena, his clean, bald head reflecting the lights above like a crystal ball. Balrog and Vega - two other Shadaloo members (and former World Warrior Tournament fighters) - accompanied him as he walked. One could see that these three Shadaloo members were larger than most fighters, but Sagat was definitely the largest. He wore an eye patch on his right eye, which got destroyed in a tournament fight when he was still a teenager. He wore tapes around his fists and feet as protection for his hands and ankles. His Muay Thai kickboxing shorts were his only apparel, so that his opponents could not grab any clothing or use his wardrobe to their advantage. Over seven feet tall, and showing muscles large enough to intimidate a tiger, he embodied the look of a World Warrior champion.

He didn't bother looking at the crowd signs. Why should he? It was never going to affect the outcome anyways. He'd only see how much these people wanted to see him get beaten. He was pretty sure the signs would consist of something about how much he sucked for zoning, or how much his confidence in himself is misplaced. Idiots. The only reason they could say that is because they haven't tried going into the ring and fighting him.

He reached the ring, and then just stood there and crossed his arms. He oozed confidence; if anyone stood in front of him and looked him in the eye in this cross-armed pose, they would imagine that he was saying "I'm not impressed with whatever you're doing."

"Sagat, The Muay Thai King," David began his description. "He had been fighting in formal tournaments ever since he was a teenager. He is a dominant striker, and not above using his large size and long reach to his advantage. However, he is most well-known for being hands-down the greatest at zoning among everyone who ever entered the World Warrior Tournament. His ki attack - Tiger Shot - came out extremely fast. He has taken down competitors before using Tiger Shots alone."

Guile's theme played. There were no boo's. Only cheers of respect from the Americans whom Guile saved from the Islamic terrorists. They lifted their signs, all of which were hand-drawn images of the flag of the United States. Even though Guile has never appeared in the tournament before, he already had a lot of fans because he was a war hero. Win or lose, the audience would love him.

Guile came out to the arena in his tight-fitting green tank tops and camouflage soldier pants. He walked with a straight body, as one would expect from a military man. His tank top did nothing to hide his muscles, which were just as big as Sagat's, but seemed way too big for a man of his height. His tall, flat-top hair stood straight up on top of his head, seemingly defying gravity (although the secret to his hair was the special-order army hair spray). He was smiling as he walked towards the ring. The Americans were chanting "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" He knew that the odds were against him, but the fact that all of these people wanted to see him fight made this all worthwhile.

He reached the ring and hopped around like a boxer, practicing jabs and kicks in order to complement the MMAP grabbing style. There was no grace to his strikes like Chun-Li, nor could he do any amazing Kung-Fu flying kicks like Fei Long, but for him, a fight is not a dance.

"Major Guile of the U.S. Air Force," David began his description. "Practitioner of MMAP. Based on data from the off-air qualifying rounds, he likes to get into a slug fest with his opponent before unexpectedly grabbing anything he could grab. Notably, he ended one of his fights when he broke both of his opponent's ankles, tackled him down, and pounded on his head until the referee stopped the fight."

Seeing both fighters now in the ring, the announcer stepped in the middle and grabbed his microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a no-time-limit battle. The only way to win is through submission or knockout.

"Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner! Standing seven feet, five-inches tall, weighing in at 172 pounds. Fighting out of Thailand and sponsored by Shadaloo! Sagat, the Muay Thai King!

"And now his opponent fighting out of the red corner, standing five feet, eleven-and-a-half-inches tall, weighing in at 190 pounds. Fighting out of the United States of America! Major Guile!"

As per the tournament routine, Sagat and Guile had a stare-down in the middle of the ring. Sagat's arms were still crossed and he still stared at Guile in an unimpressed manner. The other guy was staring at him with a stern and serious face that seemed ready to get it on.

"Alright," the referee began speaking to them. "I want you to do as I say at all times. Defend yourself at all times."

He signaled the fighters to go to the opposite corners. They did so.

"Are you ready?" He pointed to Sagat. Sagat nodded.

"Are you ready?" He pointed to Guile. Guile nodded.

"FIGHT!"

* * *

**Fight**

As soon as the fight started, Sagat threw a Tiger Shot, and Guile threw a Sonic Boom. The two ki attacks crashed into each other, both dispersing on contact. Almost instantly, Sagat threw another Tiger Shot. On the other hand, Guile's Sonic Boom required a bit of charge-time, so he wasn't able to throw another one at the same instant as Sagat. He just blocked the second Tiger Shot, and threw another Sonic Boom after it dispersed. Sagat didn't need any charge-time for his projectile, so he abruptly threw a third Tiger Shot to disperse Guile's second Sonic Boom.

"The fight is starting off with both fighters zoning right now," Chen narrated. "And Guile seems to be on the losing side of this zoning war, because he can't throw projectiles as fast as Sagat. He gets hit by a Tiger Shot for every one Sonic Boom he throws."

"Yeah, and Sagat isn't getting hit by any Sonic Boom at all," David agreed. "In my opinion, getting into a zoning fight against Sagat is a mistake. There's just no way to out-zone the champ."

Guile realized the foolishness of this zoning game at about the same time as the commentators. So he decided to start running forward while ducking under the Tiger Shots. He was going to take the fight at close range. He managed to duck under two Tiger Shots before getting hit with a third (lowered) fireball, sending a message that Sagat can go high and low with Tiger Shot, and Guile could not just duck under it. The Muay Thai King does not let anyone get past his zoning that easily.

Guile couldn't think of anything to do at this point. The pace of Sagat's zoning was insane. Not only was it hard to get close with all these fireballs in the way; the pressure hampered his ability to think of a strategy since he was so busy blocking these attacks. There was only one way to get in: he was going to tough it out.

"My god, is he doing what I think he's doing?" David wondered as he watched the U.S. soldier.

Guile was walking forward with his arms in front of his face, and was taking every single Tiger Shot that came at him. This was not at all unlike that one time he had to save his comrade inside a burning abandoned building that they garrisoned. He endured every single shot that connected with his arms, his legs, and his body. He was Superman walking in front of a goddamn machine gun.

"He _is_! He _is_, David!" Chen answered. "Guile is actually walking towards Sagat and ignoring the Tiger Shot Hell that we're seeing! Guile must be made of iron or something!"

He eventually reached about two meters in front of Sagat. It was at this point that the Muay Thai King stopped throwing Tiger Shots, and got into his Muay Thai stance. His shoulders were raised and his forearms were lifted in front of his face. His left foot faced straight towards his opponent, with the heel of that foot slightly raised off the ground in order to easily feign a kick. His right foot was right behind his leading left foot, and the rest of his body was at a forty-five degree angle, with the left side of his body being nearer to the opponent.

Sagat had good news and bad news for the war hero: The good news was that he survived the Tiger Shot Hell. The bad news was that it was now time for a fist fight against a seven-foot beast.

"Unbelievable! Guile actually got past Sagat's Tiger Shot Hell by his sheer will!" David shouted in excitement. "Usually, you needed some sort of trick to block all of those fireballs, but Guile just said 'Screw that!' and took all those hits like he was goddamn invulnerable! And Sagat is now going into an orthodox stance, indicating that he's ready for a fist-fight!"

"For those unfamiliar with tournament terms, orthodox stance is when you have your left foot and left arm forward. Basically you get into a sort of angle wherein the left side of your body is nearer to your opponent," Chen informed. "And we all know why he's in orthodox stance. He has a patch over his right eye, so his left eye needs to be nearer to his opponent in order for him to see them properly."

Guile was also ready for a fist fight, despite the pain on his legs and body, and despite the swelling on his red and painful arms. This planned slug-fest was the reason why he had endured all those Tiger Shots. He put his left foot and left arm forward, also in orthodox stance (although his was the standard non-Muay Thai kind). His plan was to take advantage of Sagat's damaged right eye. He was going to distract Sagat with a few left jabs, and then deliver a powerful right hook towards the right side of Sagat's head. Since he couldn't see with his right eye, he shouldn't be able to see this right hook coming. This should shake him long enough for Guile to grab the nearest limb and break it.

He swayed his head under the Muay Thai King's long arms and threw a jab at his face. Sagat jerked his head back so that it wouldn't reach, and then did a jab of his own to Guile's face, which connected because his arms were longer.

Guile did another left jab. Sagat dodged in the same way and connected another jab. But this time, Guile followed up his strike with a right hook. His right fist was homing in on Sagat's right eye, and Guile was confident that Sagat wouldn't see it coming.

He was wrong. Sagat easily blocked it with his right hand. It was typical for an opponent to try to take advantage of him having only one eye, but in reality this didn't hamper his ability to fight at high levels seriously. He used monocular cues and judged speed and relative motion of whatever he saw with his left eye to make up for his lack of vision on his right eye. He had been training for these types of situations ever since he lost that one eye as a teenager. He went on to become the greatest fighter in the world - maybe of _all time_ - and Guile was a fool to think of his damaged eye as a weakness that he could easily take advantage of.

After blocking the obvious right hook, Sagat did a devastating kick to Guile's left knee. The strength of Sagat, along with the accumulated damage from the multiple Tiger Shots Guile took to this knee, had caused Guile to fall down on one knee. The crows roared. Again, they were split; half were cheering for the skillful solid leg kick, and the other half were booing the arrogant bastard.

"OH! Guile is DOWN!" Chen shouted.

Seeing Guile fall down to his one knee, Sagat immediately followed up with a powerful overhead-arching elbow to the top of Guile's head. The soldier was way too fatigued and in pain to react properly to that strike, so it connected. It connected way hard. The crowd immediately fell silent and uneasy as Guile's head (and his entire vision) shook like an earthquake from the impact of the Muay Thai King's elbow. This was going to swell like a watermelon.

Sagat wasn't done. He threw his right knee into Guile's chin. The soldier wanted to block, but he was too shaken up by the last elbow strike. The knee hit Guile's chin like a battering ram. He almost felt like his lower mouth would consume his entire head. Guile became unconscious with this one blow, and he fell sideways like a log.

But still, Sagat wasn't done. Because technically, the fight wasn't over until the referee stopped the fight. So he threw in two more strikes to the war hero's face as he was falling down. Sagat's critics from the audience boo'ed some more for this unnecessary aggression.

Finally, the referee grabbed Sagat by the arms and put a stop to this brutal assault.

"And the fight is over! Sagat sends Guile to the losers' bracket!"

* * *

**Post-fight**

"Sagat, you were completely dominant throughout the fight. What are your thoughts on this match?"

"Well, Guile still has a very long way to go before he can fight at my level. He came in unprepared to fight my Tiger Shots, and he was very impressive with his endurance by taking all my fireballs, but this proved to be fatal for when he finally reached me, because then he was too tired to brawl. Let's hope that next time nobody tries that kind of approach again."

"Yeah, let's hope so. Congratulations on your victory, and we'll see you on the next show."

"Okay. I'll be seeing you, too."

"Guile, this was a completely one-sided fight. How did you feel about it, considering that this was your first tournament fight ever?"

"It was painful and disappointing for me. I wasn't able to get any offense in at all. I hope this doesn't discourage the folks at home about joining the army. You guys gotta' cut me some slack. I mean, at least I faced the greatest fighter in the world and endured all of his fireballs. That's gotta' count for something."

"Yes, it does. It shows how well-conditioned you are for endurance. Let's hope you develop your skills in other areas some more. Anyway, thank you for the fight, and good luck to you in the losers' bracket."

"Thank you."


End file.
